Machine for sorting or grading pieces of leather or the like.



P. HELDMANN.

MACHINE FOR SORTING 0R GRADING PIEGES OP LEATHER OR THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 26, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented Au 23, 1910.

P. HELDMAN N. MAGHINE FOR SORTING OR GRADING PIECES OF LEATHER OR THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 26, 1910. Q

2 SHEETS-SHEET B.

Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

MT/VESS/fd UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER HELDMAN N, 0]? FRANKFORT-OlV-THE-MAIN, GiERMAN Y, ASSIGNOR 'I'O MASCHIN- ENFABRIK MOENUS A. G., 01? FEANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN, GERMANY, A CORPORA- TION.

MACHINE FOB SORTIN G OR GRADING PIECES OF LEATHER OR THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 26, 1910. Serial No. 551,798.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER HELDMANN, a subject of the Grand Duke of Hesse-Nassau, residing at 92 Moltke allee, Frankfort-onthe-Main, in the Kingdom of Prussia and Empire of Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Sorting or Grading Pieces of Leather or the Like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for sorting or grading pieces of leather or othermaterial used for various purposes and especially the pieces employed in the manufacture of boots and shoes for heel pieces, soles, heel caps and the like,'which pieces are preferably sorted or graded, in accordance with their varying thicknesses, into different groups so as to permit of the pieces being more rapidly assembled, used or worked in other classes of machines without adjustments on such machines, which involve loss of time. Hitherto this sorting or grading of the pieces of leather in conformity with their thicknesses has not been satisfactorily effected, as no machine could be used for the purpose, the pieces of leath r having to be sorted into groups by hand, the sorting or grading thus depending on the judgment of the operator.

According to the present invention the sorting or grading of pieces of leather or other material is effected by means of a machine specially constructed and arranged for this purpose, in which the pieces of leather or other material (hereinafter referred to as leather) are carried by means of a conveyer or the like running on rollers under a gage member and thence through a movable guide channel or hopper to various receptacles situated beneath the said channel or hopper, each of these receptacles being intended for the reception of leather pieces of the same thickness. The guide channel or hopper is arranged to oscillate pendulum-like and is so connected with the gage member that its outlet comes opposite the mouth of the receptacle beneath corresponding to the thickness of the piece of leather which has last been conveyed past the gage member. The piece of leather then drops into the receptacle, and the oscillating channel, or hopper, is then caused to return to its position of rest' ready of leather.

' A constructional form of this invention will hereinafter be set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings, in 'which Figure 1 is a side elevation partially in section, showing the mechanism of the improved machine in its position of rest. Fig. 2 represents a similar elevation showing the mechanism in the position for sorting or grading. 'Fig. 3 is side elevation of the device for releasing the guide channel or hopper from its operative positions, thus enabling the same to be returned to its position of rest. Fig. 4 is a partial front elevation and Fig. 5 a artial section showing the arrangement of hinged flaps on ,the front of the magazine on an enlarged scale.

A conveyer 1 adapted to be guided over rollers 2, 3 and to move in the direction indicated by arrows under the magazine 6 removes, by means of a tappet or dog 4 attached to the conveyer, pieces of leather 5 from the said magazine 6, and brings a piece under a roll 7, which constitutes the gage member. The gage roll 7 is mounted on levers 8 each of which in turn is mounted at one end on a pivot 9 supfor conveying the next piece Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

ported in a bearing 10 and connected at its other end by a link 11 to the guide'channel or hopper 13, which is pivoted at 12. According as the gage roll 7 is raised by the passage of a piece of leather the guide channel or hopper 13 is caused to oscillate to a definite amount on its pivot 12 in the direction indicated by. the arrow I, such oscillation being proportional to the vertical motion of the roller 7. In order that the pieces pieces is rendered practically continuous, and

can take place simultaneously with the measuring operation.

Below the lower outlet of the guide channel or hopper1'3 and along its path of motion are arranged the several receptacles 14, connected with the respective collecting compartments, which may be of any suitable design and are not shown in the drawings.

In order to hold the guide channel or hopper in a fixed position above a receptacle 14 or to free it therefrom a movable locking bolt 15",is provided thereon, which, under,

the action of a spring 16, engages a rack 17 arranged on the machine frame. The bolt 15 carries, at its opposite end, a roll 18 which rides'on an arm of a cranked lever 20 pivoted at 19. The said lever is connected by a push rod 21 with a semi-circularly shaped part 24 arranged in proximity to the roller 3 and capable of moving in bearings 22 against a, spring 23. A roller 25 which is preferably mounted on the conveyer 1 serves to .shift the part 24 and to move the locking bolt 15. The guide channel orhopper 13 is connected by a tension spring 26, which returns the same to its position of rest, when the bolt 15 is released from engagement with the locking rack 17.

The sorting or grading device operates in such amanner that in moving the-conveyer 1 the tappet 4 shifts the lowermost lying piece of leather out of the magazine 6 and brings it under the'roll 7 which rises accordingly, thereby causing the hopper 13 to oscillate (Fig. 2). The extreme position of the hopper is maintained by the bolt -15 engaging the locking rack 17 until the piece of leather has passed from the hopper 13 into one of the receptacles 14. Shortly before this takesplace, the roller '25, attached to the conveyer 1, passes between the part 24 and the roller 3, and shifts the said part 24 against the action of the spring 23 (Fig. 3), thereby causing the cranked lever 20 to be moved y the rod 21, and the locking bolt 15 to be wit drawn from the locking rack. Thereupon the hopper 13 returns, either by its own weight or under the action ofthe spring 26, to its initial or rest position, in which it is shown in Fig. 1. The operation can then be repeated.

A constructional form of the device for the removal of'the pieces of leather 5 from the'm'agazine 6 is illustratedin Figs. 4 and 5. On the front wall 27 of the magazine 6, from under which the individual pieces of leather are carried forward by means of the tappet or dog 4, hinged flaps 28 of different lengths are provided, their lower edges being situated at different levels above the bottom of the magazine; in the other half of the magazine (not shown in the I drawing) the flaps 28 are arranged in a similar manner, the vertical position of the flaps '28 being maintained by springs 29. If the piece of leather, which for the time being is lowermost in the magazine 6,. be moved outward by the tappet or dog 4, those flaps 28 will give way which come into contact with the piece of leather, liberating the latter, while the pieces lying immediately above the lowermost remain in the magazine 6. The various lengths of the flaps 28 approximately correspond to the gradations in the thickness of the various pieces of leather. If, for instance, a comparatively thin .piece of leather is to be moved out of the magazine 6, only the longest flaps recede that. is to say, the outermost flap shown in Figs. 4 and 5 and the corresponding flap on the other side, while the in any number and in any desired gradations of length.

Claims.

1. In a machine of the character described, a magazine for receiving a pile of pieces of leather, a lurality of flaps of different lengths and inged to the ma azlne, a conveyer provided w1th a tappet or engaging the lower piece of leather in said magazine, a gage-roll, a guide channel connected to said gage-roll and adapted to be oscillated thereby.

2. In a machine of the character described a conveyer a vertically movable gage-roll under which said conveyer 15 adapted to travel, a plurality of receptacles, a guide channeladapted to swing into different positions above said receptacles, levers for supporting the gage-roll means for connecting the levers to the gui e channel, means for locking the guide channel in its several positions, means for releasing the locking means, and means for returning the guide channel to its normal position.

3. In a machine of the character described, a conveyer, a guide channel, means for locking the guide channel, a rollersupported on the conveyer, a slidable member arranged in the path of said roller, and means connected to said slidable member for releasing said locking means.

' PETER HELDMANN. Witnesses: I

WILHELM BER JEAN GRUND. 

